‘Speak No Evil’ remake star Scoot McNairy was onboard when he heard James McAvoy was in it. Then he watched the disturbing original.

McNairy, an acclaimed character actor known for past roles in “Killing Them Softly,” “Argo,” and the AMC series “Halt and Catch Fire,” was intrigued by the project when he found out that filmmaker James Watkins was at the helm and McAvoy was attached to star. He was excited to collaborate with them both, and that prompted his interest in checking out the original movie, which BI reporter Eammon Jacobs previously named one of the best new horror movies of 2022.

“I watched the original before I even read the James Watkins script,” McNairy told BI.

The actor said he loved the original. In particular, he appreciated its tone and the simplicity of its plot (noteworthy for its nihilistic and disturbing ending).

In fact, as thrilling as the prospect of working with Watkins and McAvoy was, “watching the original is what got me really excited about being involved in this franchise,” McNairy said.

How the ‘Speak No Evil’ remake came about

So, how did the remake, released only two years after the original, come to pass in the first place? It all started with Blumhouse, the production company behind the new film.

According to the production notes, producer Jason Blum got a call from an executive at Universal Studios who’d seen the Danish movie at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and was disturbed by it. Blum, in turn, was “floored” when he saw the movie, and put it in Watkins’ hands, already familiar with Watkins’ work on “Eden Lake” and “The Woman in Black.”

While Watkins took the crux and themes of the Danish movie, equal parts social satire and thriller, his film is a significant departure from the original.

He changes key details in the lead characters’ identities (making the Daltons Americans, while Paddy and Ciara are country Brits), and retools the entire third act to propel the audience to a new conclusion that’s shocking in a different way.

The result is a worthy remake, grounded by McAvoy’s deliciously unhinged performance as Paddy and McNairy’s pitch-perfect haplessness as Ben, that tells a similar story with a slightly different point.

“Speak No Evil” is in theaters now.